Yad Vashem is the museum on the history of the Holocaust founded in 1953 on the Herzlberg in Jerusalem.
background
Name and meaning
Yad Vashem is both a memorial and research facility for the victims of the National Socialist regime, especially the six million Jews. The name of the place means Monument and name and refers to the Bible passage (Isa 56,5 ) "Thus says the Lord: I will erect a monument to all of you in my house and within my walls, I will give you an eternal name that will never be erased." The meaning of the site can be seen from the inscription above the pillars of the entrance: "I will put my breath into you and you shall live again and I will set you upon your own soil", the text out Hes 37,14 refers to the hope for the resurrection of the victims. And so the exhibition by Yad Vashem does not end with the Holocaust, but in several places it points to a new beginning, be it life in this world in a new homeland after the establishment of the State of Israel or a future in the hereafter.
opening hours
- The memorial is open Sun-Wed 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays until 8 p.m., and Fri before public holidays until 2 p.m. Closed on Saturdays and on Jewish holidays. Admission is free.
- The archive is open Sun-Thu from 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Audio guides for 20 NIS are available for the museum in numerous languages, including German.
Children under 10 years of age are not allowed.
Overview of the memorials
Holocaust History Museum
The Museum of the History of the Holocaust opened in 2005. It is a 180 m long structure with the cross section of a triangle. Sparse light comes into the interior from above. Chambers branch off to the left and right, in which the history of the Holocaust is presented in chronological order, first of all the Jewish life in Europe is shown, the burgeoning anti-Semitism, then the emerging National Socialism, the exclusion of Jews, the Second World War, the Warsaw Ghetto and the extermination camps . You can't just walk straight through the corridor, you have to turn left or right into the exhibition rooms and then suddenly stand in front of the replica of the Warsaw ghetto or the beds of a concentration camp, boxes full of the victims' shoes and glasses, in front of cans with the inscription Zyklon B, but also in front of exercise books and children's toys.
Hall of Names
At the end of the Holocaust History Museum is the Hall of Names. The names of all six million victims are kept here, with short biographies of over two million of them. The ceiling is decorated with over 6000 pictures of randomly selected victims.
Square of Hope
The Place of Hope connects to the History Museum, an open area between the buildings from which further rooms are accessible:
- the Holocaust Art Museum, the exhibition includes pictures, often created in the hopeless environment of a concentration camp, very often biblical motifs, sometimes very personal depictions full of hope for a better life in the hereafter.
- a synagogue, in it also cult objects from today destroyed houses of worship are used
- a Exhibition pavilion and other rooms, so that Learning center show the first years in the new homeland of Israel, they show the liberation struggle and the hopeful first years after the Shoah.
A small cafeteria and a toilet are part of the necessary infrastructure. From here an escalator leads up to the outdoor area.
Hall of Remembrance
The Hall of Remembrance is a gloomy, windowless building, the names of several concentration camps can be read on its dark concrete floor. An eternal flame gives some light. Official commemorations and wreath-laying ceremonies by foreign state guests usually take place here.
Childrens Memorial
Probably the most haunting memorial is dedicated to the 1.5 million children who were victims of the Holocaust. Daylight leads into a room with reflective glass walls. You only see countless small points of light flickering, which reflect the light of a few candles on the ceiling and the walls of the room, and you can hear a soft female voice reading out the names, age and place of residence of the children. Next to the exit is the Janusz Korczak Square, the Polish doctor and educator Henrik Goldschmidt dedicated to the as Janusz Korczak voluntarily accompanied two hundred children to the extermination camp to relieve them of fear.
The Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations
In the back of the site, people are commemorated who selflessly tried to save the lives of Jews during the Holocaust. In total there are over 20,000 people. A few of them have participated in the Avenue of the Righteous, which leads from the visitor center to the site, planted a tree.
More memorials
- Pillar of Heroism: A pillar in memory of the resistance of the Jews near the memorial for the children
- Cattle Car Memorial: A cattle wagon, as it was used by the Deutsche Reichsbahn, also for the deportation of Jews, stands on a bridge arch that leads nowhere
- Valley of the Communities: Here, walls made of roughly hewn stones are used to commemorate the more than 5000 destroyed Jewish communities.
Web links
- German site by Yad Vashem
- www.yadvashem.org - English-language website of the memorial (also information in German)
- www1.yadvashem.org/yv/de/ - German-language website of the memorial
